Culture

Spotify names Egyptian singer, Carmen Soliman as the Equal Arabia Ambassador for May

Published

1 year ago

May 26, 2023

Global music streaming platform, Spotify has named Egyptian singer, Carmen Soliman, as its EQUAL Arabia Ambassador for the month of May as part of the “Women in Music” programme.

The programme which was launched in the MENA region on March 2022, was meant to showcase and support the incredible work of female Arab artists by providing continuous on and off-platform support, amplifying their voices, and sharing their music with audiences worldwide.

Soliman who is regarded as one of Egypt’s brightest female artists, rose to prominence as the first Arab Idol winner in 2012 and has since gone on a remarkable journey of success, according to Egypt Today.

“In line with Spotify’s commitment to nurturing women talent in the region through the EQUAL Arabia program, Soliman takes centre stage on the cover of the EQUAL Arabia playlist throughout May.”

“Her debut single, “Kalam Kalam,” released in 2013, swiftly gained popularity in Egypt and over the years, Soliman has delighted fans with numerous hit singles, including “Leena Ra2sa” and “Hobak Enta,” her most streamed songs on Spotify, boasting more than 4 million and 3 million streams, respectively,” the platform wrote.

“Carmen has received multiple accolades throughout her illustrious career for her extraordinary talent.

“At 16, she was honoured with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Culture award for “Best Voice”, while esteemed veteran Egyptian singer and composer, Hani Shaker, recognized her exceptional vocal prowess by introducing her at his concert at the Opera House in Egypt, expressing his profound admiration for her unmatched voice quality.

“Moreover, her latest release, “Ya Gamalak”, has been included in both EQUAL Arabia and EQUAL Global playlists, showcasing her artistry to a broader audience.

“As a testament to her remarkable contributions to the Egyptian music industry, Spotify has spotlighted Carmen by featuring her on a billboard in the iconic Times Square, New York City”, it stated.

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Culture

MultiChoice targets illegal streamers in crackdown against piracy

Published

10 hours ago

October 9, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Satellite television services provider, MultiChoice, says it is now targeting illegal streamers in its renewed crackdown against piracy.

Frikkie Jonker, the Anti-Piracy Director for Broadcast and Cybersecurity at MultiChoice-owned Irdeto, in a statement on Tuesday, says the company now uses tools to analyse illegal streams and identify the individuals responsible for streaming pirated DStv content.

Jonker stated that authorities knew who the end-users of these pirate streaming services were and warned that MultiChoice would consider legal action against them once criminal proceedings against such operators had been finalised.

“We are going after the whole ecosystem,” Jonker said in response to a question asking who MultiChoice is targeting.

“The company has carried out several raids in recent months, resulting in the arrest of several suspects allegedly involved in pirate streaming operations.

“Suspects include individuals allegedly distributing pirate streaming devices and login credentials for illegal streaming services like Waka TV.

“We have identification tools that we can use to analyse a stream of a pirate operation. By analysing it, we can say that the stream is using account number ‘123’, and then we take that account down,” Jonker said.

Jonker emphasised the importance of the crackdown, stating that the impact of pirate streaming services on platforms such as DStv Stream and Netflix is difficult to quantify due to their size.

Culture

Online streaming platform Spotify increases price for its Nigerian premium subscribers by 40%

Published

2 days ago

October 7, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Online audio streaming platform, Spotify, has announced an immediate increment in price for its premium subscribers in Nigeria by over 40%.

In a statement announcing the price increase, the platform said the hike in the fee would allow the team to continue innovating on its product offerings and features, providing users with the best experience.

In the notification, Spotify informed that starting from their billing date in November, their subscription price would change from ₦900/month to ₦1,300/month.

The latest price update puts the Premium subscription plan at ₦7,000 ($4.40) monthly, up from the initial ₦5,000 ($3.14), indicating a 40% rise.

The platform had in April, hiked its Premium Plan price from ₦4,400 ($2.76) to ₦5,000 ($3.14).

However, it added that users who do not wish to continue paying for Premium at the new price can cancel via their account page.

Spotify has also introduced Offline Backup to its Premium users globally, allowing them to listen to music offline without needing to download, with the
Offline Backup appearing in the Home feed when users are offline, and can listen to more than five songs once they have offline listening activated.